Glitter | You May French Kiss The Bride

Dec 2013

Jessica + Mark

Pop Colors, Balloons, Crepe Paper Flowers and Pom Poms for the Ceremony Exit

Jessica and Mark had a playful, colorful and fun wedding, full of DIY details and personal touches. They used crepe paper flowers and birds to create a nice ceremony setting, and their guests were throwing paper pom poms at them for the ceremony exit – what a great idea! I’m usually not a big fan of tents, but I have to say they did an amazing job decorating the place and the tables! And… there’s even a campfire! Well, I think you got it, I’m really excited to show you this wedding! Photography by Rhema Images Photography.

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The wedding took place at the bride’s parents home in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, on September 14, almost exactly three years after the couple’s first date.

Our first date was Sept 15th, 2010. We clicked instantly and were together from that day forward. Almost exactly three years later Mark and I were exchanging vows. I knew for sure we would marry and evidently everyone else did too. My mother began working on favors, centerpieces and even invitation ideas a year before mark actually proposed. Lucky she did because it took almost a year and a half to handcraft every aspect of this colorful and whimsical celebration. Two other things added to the magic of the wedding. It was an outdoor ceremony and the weather was overcast the entire day. Miraculously right before I started to walk down the isle, the sun appeared. And exiting the ceremony had its own magic, for the guests threw pom poms instead of rice, filling the sky with colorful balls. We wanted the feeling at our wedding to be exactly like our relationship, easy going, spontaneous, colorful and sweet. Our wedding was just that.

Name one thing you regret…

This is an interesting question because we feel like the one thing we regret could also be what ended up making our wedding such a blast for all of our guests. We had many activities going on outside of the wedding tent, games, a beautiful photo booth, and a cozy fire surrounded by haystacks. No one felt they were restricted to any one area. This was a lot of fun but it made it difficult to get everyone under the wedding tent for events such as cake cutting and bouquet/garter toss. What we were missing was someone who could be in charge of organizing the events of the night a little more smoothly, a coordinator of sorts. Everyone was so busy having fun, certain details were neglected.

… And one thing you’re really happy about/ proud of.

Our wedding was definitely a visual masterpiece, all heart and handcrafted by the people who love us. We couldn’t have been prouder of how everything looked from the arbor, centerpieces, chandeliers, hundreds of crepe paper flowers and amazing homemade wedding cake! The fact that everyone had a part in creating this made it unforgettably beautiful. Mark and I added to this by writing our own vows to one another and performing a choreographed first dance for our guests. We had a blast taking dance lessons the week before our wedding and we still hear comments on how fun our dance was.

More photos on the photographers’ blog!

Dec 2013

Christina + Max

A Greek Wedding with a Perfect Venue and a Self Designed Wedding Dress

Christina and Max had two weddings; the first one took place in Paris, the second one in Greece. When the photographers Hanni & Marcus contacted me about these weddings, Hanni wrote “Christina designed both wedding dresses herself. She’s not a designer – but I think she should consider this career choice.”. Well, that pretty much sums up what I felt when I actually saw the dress! The post today focuses on their wedding in Greece; needless to say the backdrop is perfect, and this beautiful couple found the perfect venue to enjoy the scenery. Photography by Hanni and Marcus for Troistudios Photography.

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The wedding took place in Thassos, an island located in the North part of Greece, on August 17, in the church village, Sotiros. The bride is half Greek which is why this couple decided to have their wedding in Greece despite the fact they’re living in Qatar. Here’s more about their choice to get married n Greece and how long distance planning worked for them:

This is where my mother’s family is from and where I got to spend all my summers until now. Maxence, my now husband, has also fallen for the place and for the last 5 years has been more than happy to spend our summer vacations in my family home.

Leaving and working in Qatar, I can say that this was quite a challenge to organize a wedding in an other country! We had to rely on friends and family that leave in Greece to help us. We chose both the place and the catering company only based on pictures and phone calls. We were really relieved when we actually saw the venue in July, it was indeed a great place.

It can seem to much of a difficulty to put us through, but a wedding, when you decide to organize one, is about what is meaningful to one another. After hours of brainstorming it was obvious that we really wanted a wedding in Greece.

Name one thing you regret…

Letting stress and panic overwhelm us when in the end you always find a suiting solution for everything, yes even for this huge problem you feel at the time will make you cancel the whole thing!

… And one thing you’re really happy about/ proud of.

Being able to mix successfully French and Greek people who do not speak any common language and do not share the same party habits. You need to trust your guests, and when your part is done as a host there is no reason to worry about people having fun. They will!

The word of the photographers.

The (second) wedding in Greece blew us away. Christina is half-Greek and they decided to get married on the island of Thassos where part of her family lives.
They found the coolest location and it was just amazing to see how all their friend came from all over the world and helped with everything. Christina and Max made us feel like part of the family. And we’re so thankful for their trust because we shot our first wedding videos for them.

More pictures on the photographers’ blog here.

Aug 2013

Patrycja + Joannis

Stylish Wedding by the Sea in Mexico

I have to say I rarely talk about the wedding dresses of the brides I feature. Not that I don’t like them (come on!!), it’s just that maybe there’s something else to focus on… I’ve learned to appreciate Jenny Packham dresses though, and the one Patrycja had on her wedding is one of the most fantastic I’ve ever seen. Really. And—as if it wouldn’t be enough—Joannis is one super elegant groom too, I just love his attire! Moreover, I am super happy to welcome another great photographer on the blog today, Fer Juaristi! So many reasons for you to check this out, right?

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The wedding took place at the hotel Viceroy Riviera Maya.

26 guests. 4 days. Tropical paradise. Laughter, conversation, hugs, food, drinks, dancing, serendipitous events and lack of informalities and pretensions. It was only natural that our wedding would have this vibe and take place somewhere away from where we lived, preferably surrounded by nature. We booked the venue without having ever been there, and never looked back.

IT RAINED ON YOUR WEDDING DAY??? YES! Bouts of rain. And it was great. When it’s a warm and beautiful tropical paradise you’re in, rain only serves to highlight the beauty in the sky, clouds and foliage. We didn’t mind at all. The colours were absolutely gorgeous, and the rain did happen to stop for our ceremony and pictures.

Name one thing you regret…

Nothing, although our speeches could have been better (my guests know what I mean :P).

… And one thing you’re happy about/ proud of.

I couldn’t have been more happier and grateful to see both sets of parents on vacation, enjoying themselves. My family immigrated to Canada without much, and my parents have lived their whole lives working very hard for my sister and I, and so it was so good to see them relax.